Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, places of public accommodation must permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where members of the public are allowed to go. A “service animal” is a dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform specific tasks for the benefit of an individual with a physical sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.
When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Employees may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability; and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Employees may not request any documentation that the dog is registered, licensed, or certified as a service animal. Additionally, employees are not allowed to require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person’s disability.
The California Service Animals Poster informs employees what questions they may ask the patron with a dog. The poster also includes QR codes to access more information about the ADA and the consequences of misrepresenting an animal as a service dog under California law.